We don't know how much longer we'll be physically able to shave, or even breathe. My mission is to enjoy my stuff to the maximum while I am able. What am I going to save it for? I've spent a lot of time and effort, and I've received a lot of enjoyment doing this shaving deal. I use all kinds of razors and all kinds of the other stuff, including soap. I've got multiples of my favorites. Soon I'll make some really good shaving soap from scratch, like grandma used to make a pie, and I'll use it with total abandon. If we aren't having fun, we're doing something wrong. I'm having fun and I'm not doing anything wrong. This is just one chap standing in front of the mirror and shaving off my whiskers once a day so I feel good about my appearance and about what I do. This is nothing other than an inexpensive and innocent hobby, for lack of a better word. I happen to love it. I love interacting with you guys too!

I wish I could use soaps up faster. I've been working on using the lesser functioning products and in the case of 2 of them they finally were invited into the shower with me. It's incredible how long soaps last for shaving, but showering with them uses them up much faster.

Soon I'll be into the better performing soaps. My intent is to use up those that I won't be replacing. I really need to reduce the # of soaps in my cabinet.

ShadowsDad wrote: I wish I could use soaps up faster. I've been working on using the lesser functioning products and in the case of 2 of them they finally were invited into the shower with me. It's incredible how long soaps last for shaving, but showering with them uses them up much faster.

ShadowsDad wrote: I wish I could use soaps up faster. I've been working on using the lesser functioning products and in the case of 2 of them they finally were invited into the shower with me. It's incredible how long soaps last for shaving, but showering with them uses them up much faster.

Williams makes perfectly adequate shower soap.

I wonder what possesses me at times. My first puck was used up in the shower, then I guess I missed it and had to open another puck. Of the lesser soaps I've been using up for the past few months it was the first to revisit the shower.

I super-load my brush with soap, which makes lather-building in a bowl a lot easier. So, I make more lather than I can actually use. I think a guy could get a full-face single pass with what I have left over. It feels wasteful to me, but the results are so much better that I continue doing it. I have a huge stash of soap, though, and I want to get more of Tim's, so I'm unlikely to ever run out.

Murray, the amount of soap is miniscule. Maybe a difference of about 1 or 1.5 grams between a sparsley loaded brush and an amply loaded brush. The extra lather gets its mass from the water and air, if the brush and soap are doing their jobs right.

Murray, I've been wondering how long a cake of Mike's soap lasts when used regularly, and the brushes loaded generously. I have a cake of Mike's Lime that will eventually work it's way up to the top of my list. I've only used it a handful of times, and I think it's a pretty hard soap.

My daughter gave me a can with a cake of "Filthy Rich Shaving Soap" she found somewhere. I have been trying so hard to use up the last of the MWF I've been using and the darned stuff lasts and lasts. Been trying since father's day. Looks like I have a couple weeks more at least. I also try to load the brush extra heavy normally so I'm surprised when someone says their soap doesn't last.

brothers wrote:We don't know how much longer we'll be physically able to shave, or even breathe. My mission is to enjoy my stuff to the maximum while I am able. What am I going to save it for?

Thanks for the reminder that I need to stop worrying about efficient use and stretching thin my supply of everything, not just shaving cream. I have tons of cream but I keep finding myself trying to use the minimum amount to get the job done, instead of just whipping it up and enjoying it. Thank you

One thing about using a soap every day, as opposed to letting it sit waiting for next time up in a rotation, is that a soap that is used every day tends to build up moisture content and that results in the soap softening a bit and yielding more of its mass to the brush when loading. That, of course, leads to a shorter life span for the soap. I was using a cake of Marlborough a while back and used it every day. I intended to overload my brush because it does belong to me, and I can use as much per day as I desire , and in daily use, it gave lie to the legend that hard soaps last for several months if used every day.

If a person's actual aim (for whatever reason) is to use up the soap he has, then he should do it. (Though in some cases I think it would be faster to simply make a habit of cutting each new soap in half and throwing away one of the pieces, achieving the same effect). I never skimp on the amount of soap I use - I always use more than enough to get great lather - but I get better shaves with less irritation when the amount of soap I use is (for a rough example) 30% over minimum and not 300% over minimum. In the same way, a truck that gets 12 miles per gallon might be more satisfying to drive than one that gets 40, but that doesn't mean it makes sense to say "Let's do all we can to get that gas mileage down to 2, then we'll have an even better truck".
At (rough estimate) 30-50% excess, I always know I'm going to get great lather and a great shave. Beyond that much "insurance" or "padding" to cover for my mistakes, I see no way that using even more soap could contribute to a great shave (doesn't smell better, doesn't feel better, etc etc) - so I don't bother. But I'm not anybody else, and anybody else should do what they want to do.

A cake of Harris soap used daily will last me 3-4 months but I've never bothered to keep a count, just replace it when necessary. I suppose shave geekery comes in all forms though and beating up a poor cake of soap is cheaper than therapy though fortunately I don't need to do either.

About 6 more days to go before the little bar of Mike's Lime soap will be all used up after about 26 wonderful lathery shaves.

On the issue of abusing any specific product, I think Willie Nelson had a relevant thought when he wrote: "I gotta get drunk and I sure do dread it". Some of us abuse soap, some of us abuse other substances, for various reasons. I'm far from perfect, and yes, I admit it makes me feel really good for a little while after I am able to mark another bar of soap off my list. Then I see the others still not used up, and am reminded of my mission: enjoy the act of shaving daily and never look back! I gotta shave and I sure do (not) dread it! I'm obviously a very sick puppy, in desperate need of a lavish and luxurious shave every day of my life.

I've been working on using a few lesser soaps to finality and it's incredible how long they last even when squandering the product.

Now I'm into using a few creams. One had the plastic nozzle end separating from the tube section, so I discovered 2 days ago. So I brought out a tub to put it into. It didn't fill that tub much more above 1/4" from the bottom. So just to make sure I wasn't going nuts I did the same thing with a tube of Lider. Pretty much the same thing. No wonder soaps last so long! They contain so much less water and there's so much more soap to a soap puck. They are by far the wrong products to purchase if the goal is to empty a container rapidly. Or the most cost effective if that's the goal.